I can't imagine a situation where a record that has the attribute of "vital" would be retained longer than the approved retention period solely because the record had a "vital" attribute. The retention period is the governing attribute for retention. "Vital" is the governing attribute for duplication and dispersal. 
Now that takes care of what we normally consider to be essential records in an organization. There are also "vital records" that include birth and death records and those are generally permanent givernment records. While those record are traditionally also called "vital records", "vital" has a completely different meaning. In this case, "vital" comes from the Latin, vita, or "life", so these records are technical "life records". Our sense of the term "vital" is generally "of critical importance". What can be confusing, however, is that we would consider these "vital records" as also deserving of duplication and dispersal.
Because of the confusion in terms, I have taken to using the term "essential records" when describing records that require duplication and dispersal.  There may be other criteria that influence retaining a record longer than the approved retention period (such as a tax or legal hold) and that additional criteria may influence the "vital record" attribute (in other words, records needed as evidence in litigation may need to be duplicated and dispersed to ensure that spoliation does not occur). In my opinion, the "vital records" attribute is always dependent upon some other factor and is not in and of itself a determinant of retention period.
 Patrick Cunningham, CRM
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"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

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